Ooni Koda 2 VS Cru Champion: Which Pizza Oven Comes Out on Top?

To fairly assess performance, I tested both ovens using the same dough and Margherita pizza recipe in my professional kitchen at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston. I prepped identical 12-inch pizzas with fresh mozzarella, basil, crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and a light olive oil drizzle.

The Ooni Koda 2 reached 950°F in exactly 15 minutes, as promised. Once the stone hit that ideal temperature, I launched the pizza and it cooked evenly in just about 60 seconds. The crust had a beautiful leopard spotting, the cheese melted perfectly without burning, and the base was crisp yet airy. The even heat from the G2 Gas Technology™ burner really stood out—there were no raw spots or overcooked edges.

The Cru Champion Oven, on the other hand, required a bit more involvement. Even though Cru lists the preheat time as 20 minutes, in my test it reached 850°F in about 13 minutes using the side wood rack, which was a nice surprise. I then slid the pizza in and it took 96 seconds to finish. The result was excellent—a more rustic, smoky flavor thanks to the wood fire, and the texture was nicely blistered on top with a slight char at the crust’s edge. The heat was solid, although slightly less even compared to the Ooni Koda 2.

In the end, both ovens made delicious pizza. But if you’re looking for precision, speed, and low effort, the Ooni Koda 2 is just hard to beat. The Cru Champion Oven delivers a more traditional, wood-fired experience and flavor—but it requires more attention and skill during the cook.

How We Tested

To make this a fair and useful comparison, I tested both the Ooni Koda 2 and Cru Champion oven in my restaurant kitchen at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, where I’ve been a chef for over a decade. I used both ovens side by side over multiple days, preparing the same styles of pizza—mostly classic Neapolitan Margherita using my standard dough recipe and ingredients. This allowed me to assess how each oven handled real-world cooking conditions.

Before diving into pizza, I looked at each oven’s build quality, materials, and design choices, noting things like heat retention, surface area, and internal airflow. I then preheated both ovens to their maximum temperatures, timed how long they took to reach optimal cooking heat, and measured the actual stone temperature with an infrared thermometer.

From there, I cooked multiple pizzas in each oven, timing how long each one took, checking for consistency across cooks, and judging the finished product based on crust texture, cook balance (top vs. bottom), and taste. I also paid close attention to usability—how easy it was to get the fire going in the Cru Champion or control the gas dial on the Ooni Koda 2, for example—as well as how simple they were to clean afterward.

These tests gave me a well-rounded, practical understanding of what each oven is really like to use day-to-day, whether you’re a backyard hobbyist or a professional like me.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, whether you choose the Ooni Koda 2 or the Cru Champion oven depends on what you value more—speed and ease of use, or the authentic charm and flavor of wood-fired cooking. Both ovens are excellent in their own ways and have earned their place in my kitchen. If you decide to buy one, I’d greatly appreciate it if you use my referral links. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, which really helps keep my blog going.

Here’s the link for the Ooni Koda 2 referral link, and this is for the Cru Champion oven referral link.